Oven for the low temperature distillation of coal, lignite, or the like



Oct. 22, 1940. F; TASSARA 2,219,084 I OVEN FOR THE Low TEMPERATURE-D1STILLATION 0F COAL, ,'L1GN1`T, 0R THE LIKE Filed Oct. 19. -11.9257

.7 y) im f 6mm HM/ Patented Oct. 222, 11940 UNITED STATES `OVEN FOR THE LOWTEIMPERATURE DIS- 'lIjILATION 0F COAL, LIGNITE, OB, THE

Filippo Tassara, Genoa, Italy Application October-19, 1937, Serial No. 169,901 In Italy October 27, 1936 2 claims. (cl. 2oz- 98) The present invention relates to an oven for the low temperature distillation of coal, lignite, or the like. A

lAccording to the present invention, a distillation oven is heated with the products of combustion of a furnace, said oven being provided with one or more distillation retorts, the material to=be distilled being charged in layers perpen dicular, or substantially perpendicular to the axis of the retorts, each `of said layers being separated by metallic movable diaphragms, the shape of which correspond to the internal shape of the retort, the column formed alternately by the layers and diaphragms being axially advancedin said retort, with continuous or intermittent movement, the material being rapidly and uniformly heated by the heating action performed by the metallic diaphragms. A

According to the invention, the material to be 9 distilled passes i'irst through a pre-heating zone, maintained at a temperature of about o-400 C. then through a distillation zone, maintained at a temperature of about 600 C. and eventually through a third cooling zone. 25 According to the invention a charging device for the material and for the metallic diaphragms is provided at the inlet of. each of the retorts, while an exhaust and/or cooling device is provided at the discharge end of each retort.

The above mentioned metallic diaphragme, according tothe invention, may be provided with parallel or otherwise suitably placed ribs, between which the material to be distilled is pressed by the action of increasing pressure in the retort and may thereby be shaped into blocksto facilitate the removal of the treated material. f

These and other objects 'of the invention will clearly appear from the following description, o with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates by way of example only a general plan of the oven, and onel of its practical embodiments according to said invention.

Fig. 1 is a vertical cross sectioned view illustratving diagrammatically a distillation oven according to the invention.

. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a metallic dia- Dhragm supplied with ribs.A l f Fl'g. 3 is a vertical section according to the line i0 m-m of Fig. 4 of practican embodiment of an oven according to the invention.

direction of arrow IV of Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 is, on the left side, an external view of 'l5 theoven in the direction of the arrow V of Fig. 3

and on the right side a verticalsection made according to the plane VfL-Va o1 Fig. 3.

With reference to Fig. 1 the oven I is provided with a retort 2 that crosses it,v saidretcrt being heated either by the combustion gases of a 5' furnace or by a battery of nozzles, which are indicated with dotted lines at 3. The retort 'inlet is provided with a charging device 4 constituted by a loading funnel 5, and an opening 'I for the introduction of iron "plates 8 designed to form the separating diaphragms between the layers 9 of the material to Y be distilled.l l

The diaphragms are shaped so as to permit a good thermal conduction from the walls of the l5 retort to them; and since the diaphragms are made of a good thermal conductor, they will uniformly distribute the heat to the interior of the mass constituting the layers 9.'

The distillation occurs between the section 2 A-A, in which the main heating of retort 2 begins and-zone B-B from which the gases and distilled vapours escape through pipe I0. The discharge end of the retort 2 is provided with a reclay doork II that can be used when the dis- 25 tillation takes place with intermittent advance,- ment'of the material. The discharge end is also provided with an extending portion 2', closed by a door I 2 which can be removed for the discharge of the diaphragms and provided with a discharging tube I3 for the distilled material. The tube I3 preferably opens into a box III filled with water up to the level I 5, the end of said tube being immersed in the water.

The material, coal, 'lignite or the like, while in 35 the oven is submitted to a gradual and uniform heating, due to the presence of the heat distributing diaphragms 8, while in the term of relatively thin layers 9. The axial pressure, applied to the column formed by the layers 9 and dia- 40 phragms 8 by the feeding screw device 6, or other vsuitable device causes its advancement towards the discharge end of retort 2, and the compression and agglomeration of the solid material after distillation, thus obtaining a coal of vfine technical and commercial qualities.

According to the invention, the diaphragms 8, may be provided with parallel ribs I6, which are filled with the. terial to be distilled. This material turns plastic underthelaction of the heat i, and forms substantially rectangular blocks inthe Fig. 4 is a plan view vof the oven seen in the 's channels formed by the-ribs I6 on the diafphragms.l

Withreferenee to Figures 3 to 5 which show a practical embodiment of the invention and in 552 a feeding screw device 6 I which the several parts are indicated with the same references used for the analogous parts of Fig. 1, oven I is provided with several retorts in parallel relation. The retorts are heated by conduction through the cylindrical wall provided with fire clay lining I1 (Fig. 3) by the products of combustion of a furnace 3 or by similar gases obtained from-a plant through ducts I8 and passages or nozzles I9 (Fig. 5). The charging inlet 20 of each retort is provided with a charging de-V vice 4 constituted by a loading funnel 5, a feeding screw device 6 which consists of a carriage 2| sliding at will on rails 22 and-a motor 23 mounted on. said carriage. The motor drives through worm gears 24, a threaded shaft 25 supported by brackets 26 on whichis mounted a threaded hub 28 (Fig. 4) axially movable in the direction of arrows 21. Two arms 29. are provided with a piston 3B which penetrates the opening 20 of retorts 2. In the example illustrated in Figs. 3 to 5, the opening 'l (of Fig..1) for the introduction. of diaphragms 8v has been eliminated. 'I'he diaphragms will instead be introduced successively step by step through the hole 20, while the material to be treated is introduced between two successive diaphragm 9 step by step through funnel 5.

The heating gases coming either from the furnace 3 or from nozzles I9 are removed through pipes 3l placed near the charging end of the retorts 2 so as to ailectv a counter-current of the heating gases and the material to be treated. In this manner, the layers of material to be treated are preheated at the discharge end of the retort 2 there is provided a cooling chamber 32.

The exhaust end of each retort' 2 is provided with a door II, covered wtih iire clay material which may be removed from the exhaust end of the retort by any suitable-means, for instance by a threadedushaft 33 supported and cooperating with brackets 34 anddriven by a hand-wheel 35. Shaft 33 passes at '36 into an exhaust chamber I3, one o f said chambers being provided for each retbrt 2. Each of the chambers I3 is provided with 'a water seal 31. The `bottom oi each of the chambers I3is provided with a xed portion 39 and by a movable portion 39 hinged at 49; said movable portion may take the position 39' in order to discharge the material into the carriage 4I'which travels on-rails 42 so that all of the retorts may be reached.

An exhaust pipe I0 for the gases and the distilled vapours is provided for each retort. The exhaust pipes I0 leading from several of the retorts are connected to a receiver 44 which contains water through which the distilled vapours and gases babble. The distilled vapours and gases are led from the receiver 44 through a pipe 45 to a single main receiver 46 which collects the gases and vapours of the whole plant.

The present invention has been described and illustrated in a diagrammatical embodiment and also in la practical embodiment, but it will be,

understood that many variations can be made, especiallywith regard to the construction of the oven I, the retorts 2, the feeding device 4 and the discharging device 2 and I3 as well as the nozzles I9 and the exhaust means, the pressure means and the diaphragms interposed between two consecutive layers of material.

Having now particularly described and ascertainedA the nature of the present invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

1`. An oven structure for low temperature ldistillation of .coal, lignite and similar materials comprising at least one horizontal retort, in combination with a plurality of imperforate ribbed metal 'diaphragms corresponding in shape to the Lcross-section of the retort, said retort being provided with means forthe insertion of said diaphragms at the charging end, means for chargi- Ying the material to be treated into the retort between the diaphragms to form relatively thin layers of said material, means for heating the retort, means for applying pressure to the diaphragms and the material therebetween from the charging end to compress the material, said diaphragms conducting heat to each layer of material whereby each layer is heated substantially uniformly throughout, means for removing gases from the retort andmeans forlreleasing p'ressure at the discharge end to effect removal of the diaphragms and compressed material from the retort'by said pressure means. s 2. A device-as cl'aimed in claim 1, wherein the means for charging the material into the retort operates intermittently.

FILIPPO TASSARA. so 

